Oculus Rift Turns Netflix Into Trippy Movie Theater

A new Netflix hack for Oculus Rift turns the streaming app into a virtual theater you can browse by tilting your head.

Shares

The Oculus Rift can already immerse us completely in our favorite movies, but what if it could change the way we browse for those flicks? That's a question that a few developers sought to answer with Oculix, an Oculus-ready version of the Netflix app that turns the main menu into the trippiest 3D movie theater you've ever seen.

Created as part of Netflix's official Hack Day for developers, Oculix lets you browse Netflix's streaming library by tilting your head and performing hand gestures. Floating icons for movies and TV shows surround your peripheral vision, allowing you to look around freely and "grab" whatever you feel like watching.

Once you make a selection in Oculus, you're taken into a virtual theater complete with fake walls. While it doesn't look like Oculix will play the actual videos in 3D, the illusion of being at the movies is a neat one.

Other nifty creations from recent Hack Days include a radial in-app keyboard for use with the PS3's analog stick, and a Sleep Tracker app that uses FitBit to detect at which point during a binge watching session you've fallen asleep (you know you've done it), so you can pick up where you nodded off.

While Oculix may not see a commercial release, it's only a matter of time before the Oculus Rift brings you to the movies. Oculus VR owner Facebook is reportedly in talks with major movie studios to create "Oculus experiences," which could allow fans to become immersed in an upcoming film's world before it hits theaters.